Friday, September 4, 2009

Another cabbie apparently the victim of a false rape claim

Recounting the night that a young woman allegedly told a rape lie that led to an innocent cabbie's incarceration caused the cabbie, a father of three, to burst into tears in open court. A grown man, a working man, reduced to tears, because, apparently, a vicious, selfish woman knew she had the power to destroy any man if she wanted, and she did. According to the news story below: "Rosie Waggett, aged 18, is alleged to have only had 49p when she got into a cab and to have told an acquaintance that if she was made to pay the full fare she would say the taxi driver had tried to rape her."

As we previous explained here: "Male taxi drivers are among the groups frequently targeted for false rape claims.Don't want to pay your fare? If you're a woman, just cry 'rape!' and destroy a man's life to save a few dollars. Need a handy male to accuse of rape to explain some illicit sexual encounter? Your friendly cab driver will do just fine, thank you." Read that one again -- we recount a series of cab driver false rape horror stories. Looks like we'll be adding this one to the list:

A TEENAGER is accused of making up a sexual assault which led to a taxi driver being arrested and held in custody for nine hours.

Rosie Waggett, aged 18, is alleged to have only had 49p when she got into a cab and to have told an acquaintance that if she was made to pay the full fare she would say the taxi driver had tried to rape her.

PJ Cars employee Mohammed Afsar was arrested and held in custody after Waggett made the claim to the police.

The father-of-three broke down in tears in the witness stand at Derby Crown Court when he gave evidence about the night.

Later, prosecutor Abi Joyce, while cross-examining Waggett, said: "You planned all along to make the allegation against whichever taxi driver turned up that night to avoid having to pay the fare and you were drunk."

Waggett, of Ednaston Avenue, Littleover, denies perverting the course of justice and has maintained she was telling the truth about the assault. She also denies being drunk.

A jury heard how she told the police that Mr Afsar had grabbed her leg and said: "If I don't get my money off you, I don't get sex off my wife. If I don't get sex off her then I have to get it somewhere."

Abi Joyce, prosecuting, said that Waggett had "made a false allegation".

"She told Troy Muir (an acquaintance), effectively, that she would make a false allegation – 'I will say the driver tried to rape me' – and that's exactly what she did," said Miss Joyce.

She told the jury that Waggett had given Mr Afsar 49p when he picked her up from a house in Willson Avenue, Littleover, at about 6am on January 17.

When they arrived at her Ednaston Avenue home she told him to wait while she got the rest of the fare, said Miss Joyce.

However, moments later two men came from the address and assaulted him, Miss Joyce told the jury.

Police arrived shortly after this incident and arrested Mr Afsar and held him at the police station for nine hours.

Mr Afsar told the jury how he had put his elbow on the horn and was crying and shouting for help as the men hit him.

He said that when he got home later that day his wife and children looked at his face and were "scared".

Miss Joyce said that as police were investigating the case they interviewed Mr Muir, who had been at the Willson Avenue house with Waggett before she was picked up by Mr Afsar.

Miss Joyce said: "It became apparent then that Rosie Waggett had planned to accuse the taxi driver of assault to avoid paying the fare."

Richard Thatcher, for Waggett, said Mr Muir had lied about Waggett, saying she would accuse the taxi driver of sexual assault, because she had turned him down when he had propositioned her. Mr Thatcher said to Mr Muir, who was giving evidence: "You decided to tell an untrue story because she gave you the brush-off."

Mr Muir denied he had lied.

He said: "I have no reason to lie. She is my sister's friend and I'm not going to get her into trouble for no reason.

"I'm standing here because I think it's wrong for a man to be accused of something that he didn't do."

Waggett told the jury she had given Mr Afsar £10 at the start of the journey and had expected change at the end.

She said that part-way through the drive she had climbed into the front seat after Mr Afsar had got lost. It was after this he had grabbed her thigh and threatened her, saying he wanted more money.

She said: "My body froze with shock. I was frightened."

Waggett said that when she arrived at her house she said she would get him more money and then went to the front door and was crying.

Her mum, Andrea Waggett, told the jury how she had been woken up by her daughter shouting and screaming for her, as she banged on the door.